1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording method using yellow ink compositions, and more particularly to an ink jet recording method using yellow ink compositions.
2. Background Art
Various properties are required of images produced by ink compositions. One of them is lightfastness. When color images are formed using ink compositions, it is common practice to use at least magenta, yellow, and cyan inks. These inks should satisfy properties commonly required of ink compositions, for example, no change in composition and properties during storage. Additional requirements to be satisfied are such that sharp images are formed on recording materials and there is no deterioration in images during storage for a long period of time.
Further, in color images produced by a plurality of ink compositions, the presence of only one color having poor lightfastness leads to a change in hue of images and consequently extremely deteriorates the quality of color images. Thus, more controlled lightfastness is required of color ink compositions.
In recent years, ink jet recording printers have become widely spread. The ink jet recording method is a printing method wherein droplets of an ink composition are ejected and deposited on recording media, such as paper, to perform printing. The feature of the ink jet recording method is that images having high quality with high resolution can be printed at a high speed by means of a relatively inexpensive apparatus. In particular, color ink jet recording apparatuses can realize improved image quality, and have also become used as an output device for photographs and as a digital printer, a plotter, a CAD output device and the like. Images printed by means of ink jet recording printers, which have become widely used in the art, are considered utilizable in various forms. In particular, photograph-like prints are considered to be placed for display in a place exposed to light emitted from a fluorescent lamp or direct sunlight in the open or the like for a long period of time. Therefore, lightfastness is a very important property requirement to be satisfied by images produced by the ink jet recording method.
C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 has hitherto been widely used as a colorant for yellow ink compositions. Among pigment-based colorants, this pigment has exceptionally good yellow color development. However, there is still room for improvement in lightfastness.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 25440/1998 proposes an ink composition for ink jet recording, containing C.I. Pigment Yellow 154. This publication, however, discloses neither the use of C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 in combination with C.I. Pigment Yellow 109, 110, 128, 150, or 154 nor advantages provided by this combination.